The question “Did I turn off the stove?” is losing its blood-curdling power. As the first supplier, Siemens is now introducing networked home appliances to the market.
They require no additional cable installation and are connected to a control center via a power socket. As a result, remote queries and operation become possible. After heading off on vacation, a housewife can use a cell phone to check whether a stove burner was left on by mistake, and she can even turn it off. Within the house, nearly all functions of the on-line appliances can be operated with a tablet PC. The technology is based on Powerline, and the data transmission is done through the electrical network. At first, this new feature will be available in top-line stoves, refrigerator-freezer combinations, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers and air conditioners. The serve@Home system was presented on December 10 in Munich.